Bakemono
by Ureijisai
Summary: Nosy neighbours peeked through their doors to watch the commotion. "Egotistic bitch!" the woman screamed angrily. In front of her was an identical girl. They have pretty faces, pale skin, wear spectacles; they are the same yet they are different. "Just because you've got some backbone doesn't mean you can talk back!" the woman yelled again.
1. Prologue

Nosy neighbours peeked through their doors to watch the commotion.

"Egotistic bitch!" the woman screamed angrily.

In front of her was an identical girl. They have pretty faces, pale skin, wear spectacles; they are the same yet they are different.

"Just because you've got some backbone doesn't mean you can talk back!" the woman yelled again.

The girl said nothing but stare at her with her poker face – it irritated the woman. The girl clenched her fist but took a silent deep breath and slowly unclenches her hands.

"Won't you calm down already?" the girl muttered softly and monotonously.

"Calm down?!" the woman narrowed her eyes, "Go die in a ditch!"

Then in a single breathe, everything went still. The woman had her arms outstretched and the girl had lost her balance. Then there was a thump and then there was blood.

It all happened so fast. So immediate. The woman felt her heart stop. She blinked and realized that the girl laying on the ground in an awkward position… the girl lying on her back in a pool of blood was her sister that had fallen down the stairs.

The woman covered her mouth and stared in horror. Tears welled up and uncontrollably dripped like rain.

"It-It's not my fault… It's not my fault…"

Everyone was surprised. Some had screamed in horror, some were stunned to do anything, some were confused and only a few called the ambulance. "It's not my fault… It's not my fault… It was her fault. This is all her doing… she brought it upon herself… It's… It's… IT'S NOT MY FAULT!"

_Who's shouting? Why is everyone so… alarmed? Why am I on the ground? Why can't I move my body? Why is everything red? Eh? I'm the one who's… red?_

* * *

><p>I stared at my plush toy penguin.<p>

What else is there to look in this world? It's filled with endless dandelions on white stained fields. It stretched beyond the horizon like a blanket covering the world. Perhaps I can look at the vast sky – there are millions of stars and a waxing moon. Maybe think up of poetry to match the atmosphere?

Honestly, what's there to look? It's just the stars and the moon.

I reached out a hand to retrieve my penguin.

"_Konnichiwa_,"

I paused. I don't recognise the voice but judging by the tone, it belongs to a teenage boy. My body went still, I hadn't expected anyone to be in this place.

Slowly, I turned around and met a teenager with ocean blue hair. I couldn't see his eyes, they were shadowed.

"Don't look so fierce," the boy said in a friendly casual manner, "besides, we're _one_, aren't we?"

His tone changed all of a sudden and my guard upped.

* * *

><p>"Oh, you're awake!" the faceless man wearing a coat greeted me. Beside him was a faceless woman wearing a nurses' attire.<p>

What was I dreaming about…?

"You were lucky. If the ambulance hadn't got to you in time, you wouldn't make it…"

Wouldn't make it? Oh, that's right, I fell down the stairs.


	2. Chapter 1

Natsume Hamasaki stared out the window, she wasn't particularly looking at anything though.

A few paused to peek at the mysterious girl bathed in sunlight, which somehow made her look radiant. The way she had a look in her eyes entranced her viewers more.

Besides who couldn't resist an alluring beauty. No one dared to enter or make a noise, they got the sense that they shouldn't disturb her.

"You're looking so down." The nurse barged in and pinched her cheeks.

A shade of pink appeared on her pinched cheeks. "It hurts…" Natsume rubbed her cheeks gently, trying to ease the throbbing pain. That nurse pinched very hard and it was painful. How could a nurse do this to a injured patient? She inquired.

"You should eat more." The nurse picked up the food tray from the table. Natsume gazed at the food – it was barely touched.

"It's not delicious." Natsume commented.

These few days, in fact from the very moment she woke up and found herself in the hospital, she noticed that the food tasted very bitter and very bad. It completely lack taste despite of its appearance. One bit would send Natsume's throat feeling uncomfortable and icky, making her feel nausea.

The doctor said it has something to do with psychology affecting the taste buds...

The nurse smiled, "What were you thinking just now?"

Natsume said nothing but averted her attention from the nurse.

She's been thinking. Thinking about the past few days she had spent in the hospital – thinking about how her favourite candies tasted horrible, thinking about what was that thing that the nurse had injected her with to make her full, thinking about why there was no cut when she had scratched her leg on something sharp, thinking about what happened during her operation.

What exactly happened after she fell down from the stairway?

There was one possible reason. But she doesn't trust her own judgement without any conclusive evidence.

To Natsume, it's not hard to guess what had happened or rather, what she had become. All she needed was the truth.

"Himawari-san," Natsume rested her cheek on the palm of her hand with her elbow leaning against the window sill, "Am I a ghoul?"


End file.
